The Time Sink

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

"There are minds that think as well as you do, but differently." That's Larry Niven in his column on Space.com. Larry wants to go to Mars (at least virtually). He blames Heinlein...

They also have a piece on the end of the Iridium fiasco.

...and Saturday, Wired News had a piece on Open Source in the education environment. Remember the flack sometime back about Redmond demanding the elimination of *NIX machines from college campuses ("campi"? <g>) as a condition of using NT servers. Well, the penguins have taken a page from Apple's book (and Borland's) and are introducing Linux to school districts as a less expensive way to operate their labs. That can only get more interesting as time goes on. ...and the K-12 Linux Project link with its excellent index page is a fine starting point for Linux beginners.

Ah, now I remember why I wanted my web-trolling email from last Friday: it contained the Secret Decoder Ring for Dr. K's "words not spoken in the colonies." I finally know what 'pants' means when he writes it like that. I can get some things from context, but others... Sometimes you just have to grow up in the language.

...and Don Armstrong checks in with the answer to my "campi" comment from Monday: "That's "scampi" - as in schools of little shrimps." Sounds good to me, especially on the barbie (and you can look that one up at the same place; they also cover words from down under).

Hey! Ever work with dBase? It's baaack! Bought up by those who felt it shouldn't die and now targeted for web serving. They must trust it; they serve up their pages from it.

How many people do you really need to test a website or a piece of software? Jakob Neilsen's Alertbox suggests five will do just fine. That more or less validates thoughts that Erik and I have had: observe a small group; note the problems; fix the problems; retest. Nice to have some validation.

...and I need to work on this site! Tom reminded me today that I have no clue what I'm working on. Well, he actually asked about an equipment update (a What I Use page) to further a discussion. Heck, even our friend (the one with the dual personality who shall remain nameless but better get his site up RSN before someone outs him) has a What I Use page in progress. Sheesh, I don't even know which HDD is in the laptop until I boot it. Time for a serious Thompson Deep Clean® followed by a Roberta's Delight® (even though we do not have a balcony, Shelley will be happy to pretend) and a complete reset of this whole place.

On a related topic, if you've had trouble with my redirect page, the problem should be gone. I had a counter sitting there; the service was purchased and had their servers moved by The New Boss. Problems for them (and you). Since I've been mirroring this site on pair for a little while (www.thetimesink.net), I've cut the counter and I'll just speed up the move. If Dave gets that grep utility done<g>, you'll never even see a broken link (now, stop that laughing).

The office gig went okay yesterday, mainly because I pulled the plug at the eight-hour mark and came home to blade. Would someone please remind me to check the weather forecast before I do that again; twenty-five mph winds on the uphill stretch slowed me to nearly walking speed. I did have a tail wind for the last part of my loop; that almost made up for it.

...and back to the office to attempt once more to catch up with my own work.

..."clear with light winds". ...and an unexpected bump in the road.

I share Matt's love for meetings. The best thing that I can say for any meeting is it moves me closer to the end of the workday. The only problem with impromptu meetings on top of a tightly scheduled day (that has cheerfully gone to hell) is today I get to start with exactly the same game plan and tasks that I started with yesterday! So home to skate. ...and fall down go boom.

I was only three blocks into my skate when the little girl around the corner (the one with the crutches) waved and said, "Hi!". As I turned toward her, I hit some invisible object in the roadway (it must have been invisible: I hadn't changed course like I do for the visible ones) and I proceeded to test my landing skills. Ouch and ouch again. I got up; waved and said, "Hi!", back to her so she wouldn't be scared; and started off slowly assessing the damage. Hmmm... Left ankle; but bears weight. Road rash R forearm, R elbow, R knee; no bleeding. Pain L knee, L shoulder: Hey, did that judo stuff stick from years past? Did I roll though this one? Or just sprawl? R rib margin: moderate pain. I think I landed on my 'heavy hands' or maybe even my elbow.

Well, by this time, I'm another few blocks into things; I'm still breathing; and I don't feel that funny stabbing feeling that indicates bone ends. I figure I might as well stretch things out for the moment and finish the short course (four miles); 'cause I know when I stop, it will get ugly.

Several hours later, I can report no obvious fractures; the road rash cleaned up okay; and the rib pain is ugly. Aside for DocJim: No sharp pain; no crepitus; no subcutaneous emphysema; tidal volume okay; pain on motion or deep inspiration; watched closely by hyper-paranoid wife who, by the way, wants me on the treadmill and not on the streets. ...and keeps making comments about how a body takes longer to heal at my age!

Why, I'll have you know I can still say I'm in my late forties.

...and does any besides me think that it's no coincidence that Corel started shipping Office 2000 for Linux the same the day SR-1 (the service release from hell) for Office2000 came up from Redmond?

Mail first:

On my comment regarding Corel Office, JHR writes:

Does it really matter? If C-OFC 2K is a hit, Microsoft simply puts Corel on the list for their next trip to market, along with Kleenex & oranges. Takes Corel home, cooks it, picks the bones, and throws the carcass away. "What's for dinner tomorrow, honey?"

Business as usual.

Yet I don't see any alternative to Microsoft. All the options are even less satisfactory. Like it or not, Microsoft owns "the only wheel in town."

Sad.

Regards,

JHR

I have to agree to a certain extent based on the well-traveled history of some of Corel's units. OTOH, I hope Corel can make some inroads while Redmond is distracted with Win2000. Picking up Corel would solve Redmond's Linux envy issues...

FWIW, Steve Gibson's OptOut came up empty on both the home and work machines. YMMV; I am surprised. ...and somewhat pleased; I must be keeping some junk off these beasts.

Oh, the weather forecast is for 70 degrees F and light winds.

Well, I can still skate! But, oh man, those deep breaths... My biggest problem with the rib injury is bending over, then straightening up; a guaranteed "ouch" every time. Ah well, rest may be in order: Shelley says it's going to rain tomorrow; it may be a geekfest weekend.

If you didn't get to Jerry's Thursday column, take a minute to check out his adventures with newsgroups; I just hope your name's not Joey.

Hey Don Armstrong , next time you're at a magazine stand, check out VMX magazine, Volume 8. I saw a copy of that issue proudly displayed by our bio-tech chief. It has shots of him on his vintage bike racing in Arizona. I expect things like that on the Internet, but an Australian motocross magazine doing a photo shoot in Arizona, USA and capturing one of my mates on film just amazes me. Look for the picture of Clark Sumner in this issue; his bike will be featured in the next.

...and now it's time to straighten up the office since my assistant returns on Monday. She's checked in a few times and I've refused to say how things are going. I want her to enjoy her vacation to the fullest: she doesn't bug me at the coast during the summer and I'd like to return the favor.

Anyone play Mahjongg? A picture is worth a thousand "Aarrrgghhs."

Today is a stand down day. Way too much going on the last few weeks both at work and at home. ...with more coming up the next few weeks. I even called up the instructor who bailed me out when I had the flu and asked him if he wanted the recertification class I would normally be starting today. He said he did need to landscape his front yard, so "Sure!" That allows me to teach alternate weekends with my main class for the next month instead of teaching six weeks straight.

What does teaching have to do with landscaping? Many years ago, Clark (the motocross dude I mentioned yesterday) and I were both Field Supervisors rotating days with a third person. One day, on my watch, I heard Clark log up. That was unusual, so I looked him up later in the shift and asked him what he was up to. He replied, "I'm painting my garage." "WT...?", from me; and he came back with, "Well, I hate to paint and I like working the streets; so I'm picking up some overtime doing what I do best while this other guy is doing what he does best by painting my garage. I figure it's a wash on money and I won't have to clean the brushes when I'm done." Words to live by...

Press release from JHR Productions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Warlock Ltd.:

We are pleased to announce the upcoming Grand Opening Extravaganza and Official Launch of The Warlock's Web Site. Get your invitation and further details at: http://WarlockLtd.com/ Please tell all your friends, and bring them along - bring the wife and kiddies - all are welcome. See you there! Regards, JHR -- [JHR, for The Warlock] jhr@warlockltd.com

...and Happy Sunday to you all. If you have Java enabled; and like to stare at shifting shapes; or want to know what the sixties were like for some people, you might take a moment here. More of the same only different. Too much for me; time for my medication<g>.

It's going to be a church day today; services this morning and a dinner tonight where I've been asked to say a few words. Shelley will also say a few words about my few words and then I'll say a few more. Should be fun; I'll check in later and let you know how it went.